Apparatus for applying protective wrappers to cigars.



0. HAMMERSTEIN. I APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PROTECTION WRAPPERS T0 CIGARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 7. 1916.

1,269,600. v Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

iii

WITNESSES! //v men/rim A 7TORNEY8 0. HAMMERSTEIN.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING 'PROTECTION WRAPPERS T0 CIGARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-7.1916.

1,269,600. Patehted June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. flzqj.

WITNESSES. I INVENTOR oscAn. nmnas'rnm, or new Yoax, n. Y.

APPARATUS ronxnrrnmc PROTECTIVE WBAPPEBS T CIGARS.

i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1918.

, Application filed December 7, 1916. Serial No. 135,579.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR HAMMaRsrnIN, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, clty, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Apparatus for Applying Protective Wrappers to Cigars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention applying protective wrappers to c gars and contemplates the provision of an lmproved and simplified apparatus whereby the final steps in applyin said wrappers to the cigars may be e ciently carried out and which will shape and form the pointed end of the cigar coincidentally with the application of the protective wrapper thereto. Other objects of my improvement will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate examples of my improved wrapper and apparatus (for applying same and in which Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved apparatus partly in section; Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 2'2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 2 is a detail section on the line 2-- a of Fig 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section; Fig. 4is a de tail plan view of a portion of said apparatus; Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a similar view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a face view of my improved wrapper and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of. a cigar with my improved wrapper applied thereto.

As shown in the illustrated example my improved apparatus comprises a table 10 carried by supports 11 whichmay either form lntegral parts of said table or com prise separate elements secured thereto in any suitable manner as by screws 12. The said supports 11 are preferably fastened upon a base 13 for instance by means of screws 14, the base 13 in turn being preferably mounted upon legs or the like 15 in any well known or desired manner. The apparatus further includes a sleeve 16 ournaled in upright bearings 17 and 17 a located upon and secured to or forming part of the table 10, said sleeve 16 being continued beyond the hearings in one direction in the form of a trough 18 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In order to prevent lengthwise movement relates to apparatus for of the'sleeve 16 in the bearings 17 and 17 any suitable means may be provided as for instance a collar 19 located between the bearings 17 and 17 a and secured to the sleeve 16 in any convenient manner as by a pin 20. A plunger 21 isslidably mounted in the sleeve 16 and in its operative position projects beyond the same into the trough 18, the projecting end being preferably provided with an adjustable head 22 which as shown in Fig. 3 may simply comprise a flat headed screw. At its opposite end said plunger 21 may be provided with an actuating device of any suitable character such as a crank 23 having an operating handle 24. The plunger 21 in the illustrated example is connected to rotate with the sleeve 16 by means of a radially extending stud 25 which passes through registering slots 26 and 27 formed respectively in the sleeve 16 and collar 19, said slots being necessary to permit the plunger 21 to slide lengthwise in said sleeve 16 for the purpose to be more clearly brought out hereinafter. In addition to the abovel prefer to provide a projection 28 extending from the bearing 17 toward the bearing 17 and adapted to cooperate with the stud 25 to bring the mechanism to a constant position of rest at the completion of each operation as will also appear more fully farther on in the description. A clamping member 29 adapted to be moved into andput of registry with the trough 18 in .any convenient manner is provided and in the illustrated example is carried by an arm 30 pivoted at 31 to the lower surface of the trough 18. In the preferred form a finger piece 32 is formed on said clamping member 29 for facilitatin the operation thereof.

The apparatus further includes a shaping device 33 rigidly supported upon the table 10 and having a tapering or otherwise suitably shaped recess 34 upwardly open and located in axial alinementwith the trough 18 and having its opposite ends also open, the largest end of said recess being in close proximity to the free end of said trough as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. With the arrangement described the recess 34 forms substantially a stationary continuation ofsaid trough the purpose of which will appear as the description proceeds. The small open end or apex of the recess 34 terminates in the end wall of the device 33 and is in com.-.

munication with a notch 35 extending transversely to the recess 34 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A tamping and forming member 36 provided with a recess 37 shaped to correspond to the form of the recess 34 and occupying an inverted position with respect thereto, is arranged to be reciprocated 1n a vertical direction in registry with the device 33 and so as to maintain the recess 37 in alinement with the recess 34. In the illustrated example of my improved apparatus, said member is carried by a rod 38 extending downwardly through a su table opening 39 in the table 10 and vertically slidable in a suitable bearing 40 depending from said table in registry with said opening 39. Any suitable mechanism may be provided for moving said rod 38 to reciprocate the member 36; for instance the illustrated arrangement may be adopted. This arrangement comprises one or more links 41 pivotally connected at one end with the lower end of said rod 38 as indicated at 42 and passing through an opening 43 fo rmed in the base 13, said links 41 being similarly connected at 44 with an arm 45 secured upon or forming part of a shaft 46 journaled upon the legs 15. The construction further includes an actuating lever 47 depending from said shaft 46 and fixed thereon, said lever 47 terminating near the surface upon which the apparatus stands and being provided with a treadle or foot piece 48. I further provide an ad ustable stop of any convenient type to arrest the downward movement of the member 36 which stop, in the illustrated example comprises a screw .49 extending through a portion of the member 36 and arranged to contact 40 .with the upper surface of the device 33 as will be clear from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2.

My improved wrapper which is preferably used in combination with my apparatus comprises a sheet of paper or other suitable material having a-main portion 50 and an end portion 51 of increased width and preferably formed with side edges 52 diverging from said main portion 50 as shown in Fig. 7 the opposite end edges 53 and 54 being substantially parallel. It will of course be understood that my apparatus may also be employed to efliciently apply protective wrappers of existing types as will be clear from the description hereinafter.

In practice the cigar as it is taken from the press or the like and with the pointed end unfinished is placed upon the portion 50 of the protective wrapper and then rolled up in said wrapper, the rolling starting from the edge 53 and ending at the edge 54. As the cigar in the condition in which it is placed upon the protective wrapper is more nearly in the form of a true cylinder than after it is finished the application or rolling up of the wrapper is facilitated and a result of maximum neatness is produced with a minimum of effort and care. In cases in which the protective wrapper is applied to the previously finished cigar the latter owing to its shape tends to roll in the arc of a circle so that great care and considerableskill is necessary in order to properly apply the protective wrapper.

After the cigar has been rolled up in the protective wrapper the diverging ends 52 of .the portion 51 will project beyond opposite ends thereof, it being understood that me width of the main portion 50 corresponds approximately to the length of the cigar, so that the side edges of said portion 50 register substantially with the opposite ends of said cigar, although this is not absolutely necessary. Thus at the end of the first step in the application of said protective wrapper a minimum amount of material projects beyond the ends of the cigar so that the twisted ends into which these projecting portions of the wrapper are formed to complete the operation of applying the latter are of a minimum bulkiness and present a neat appearance. After the cigar has been manually rolled up in the wrapper as, described the combined wrapper and cigarare placed in the trough 18 with the end thereof which is to be pointed resting in the recess 34 and the projecting portion of said wrapper at this end extending through and beyond the small end of said recess. After the wrapped cigar has been properly positioned in the apparatus the clamp 29, which has previously been moved out of registry with the trough 18 to facilitate the location of the cigar therein, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 is returned to its operative position as shown by solid lines in said figure in which it serves to clamp the said cigar in said trough. The plunger 21 which may also have been previously moved in the sleeve 16 toward the right in Fig. 3 to permit the wrapped cigar to be readily placed in the trough 18 is then pushed in the reverse direction in said sleeve until the head 22 engages the end of the wrapped cigar as shown in Fig. 1. Thatportion of the wrapper which projects through the small end of the recess 34 is then held between the fingers of the operator substantially in axial alinement with the trough 18 and the handle 24 is turned. This brings about a rotation of the sleeve 16, trough 18. plunger 21 and head 22 and also causes a rotation of the wrapped cigar a pressure be ing exerted upon the plunger 21 toward the left in Fig. 3 to maintain the end of the wrapped cigar in the recess 34. 'As the parts are rotated as described the said end will be rotated in said recess 34 and the projecting portion of the wrapper will be twisted as the operator. During the operations so far described the lever '47 may be periodically moved backward and forward by the oper ator through the medium of-the foot piece or pedal 48 whereby the shaft 46 is rocked in its bearings and thus, by means of the link or links 41- causes the rods 38 to be reciprocated in the bearing 40 in 'a vertical direction. Each downward movement of said rod 38 will bring the tamping or forming member 36 or more particularly the recess 37 thereof into engagement with the end of the wrapped cigar which is located in the recess 34. Through the cooperation of the recesses 34 and 37 and the tamping action of the member 36 the said end will thus be pointed or otherwise shaped and brought to a finished condition, the final shaping of this end of the cigar depending upon the shapes of said recesses 34 and 37. The finishing of said cigar at this end and the applying of the wrapper is thus coincidentally carried on thus resulting in a saving of time and labor and bringing about a neater and more eflicient winding of the wrapper.

As soon as the end a has been properly twisted and the tamping and forming operations have been sufficiently carried out the twisted end a is bent at an angle to the axis of the cigar into the notch 35 as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 6, and is held therein by the operator. A continued actuation of the apparatus will now cause this twisted end a to be drawn through the notch 35 and spirally wound upon itself as indicated at b in Fig. 8 whereby the application of the wrapper at the pointed end of the cigar is finished. Owing to the fact that the end a is easily held in the notch 35 and is thus efliciently guided and maintained under a tension a neat and finished spiral of relatively small bulkiness is produced whereby the appearance of the package is enhanced. and the pointed end of the cigar is protected.

When the above operationshave been completed the plunger 21 is moved to the right in Figs. 1 and 3 to move the head 22 away from the cigar and the handle 2 is actuated until the stud 25 engages the projection 28 from below in which condition of the parts the trough 18 is in the normal position of rest shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The cooperation of said stud 25 and projection 28 thus efiiciently stop the apparatus in a position of 7 rest which is constant and in which all parts thereof are readily accessible for the intended purposes. The wrapped cigar may now be readily removed from the apparatus by first swinging the clamp 29 to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3 after which the projecting portion of the wrapper at the large end of the cigar may be straightened out and twisted by hand for instance as shown at c in Fig. 8 to complete the package or otherwise finished.

' In the finished condition the protecting wrapper is thus efliciently combined withdescribed with the assistance of my improved apparatus. The latter in itself is extremely simple in construction. and operation and makes it possible for unskilled'labor to apply the protective wrapper with a penditure of time and effort. By adjusting the head 22 the apparatus may be arranged to accommodate cigars of varying length, it being obvious that in some cases said head may be fixed or even entirely omitted in which case the inner end of the plunger 21 would be used to abut against the cigar. The plunger 21 in addition to its other functions provides a simplemedium whereby the one end of the cigar and wrapper may be efliciently maintained in the recess 34. 5

Various changes in the specific forms shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the 'spirit of my inventio 1 I claim V i 1. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a stationary shapin device having a tapering recess open at 0th ends, a carrying trough located in axial. alinement 'with said recess, a rotatable sleeve forming a continuation of said trough, bearings for said sleeve, a plunger slidably mounted in said sleeve and connected therewith, said plunger extending into said trough, and an actuating handle connected with said plunger whereby the latter is moved lengthwise in said sleeve and the plunger, sleeve and trough are coincidentally rotated relatively to said recess.

2. An comprising a stationary shapin device having a tapering recess open at ioth ends, a

carrying trough located in axial alinement -'with said recess, a'rotatable sleeve forming a continuation of said trough, bearings for said sleeve, a plunger slidably mounted in said sleeve and connected therewith, said plunger extending into saidtrough, an acapparatus of the kind described maximum of efliclency and a minimum extuatin handle connected with 'said plunger 7 rocating said rod whereby said forming member is reciprocated vertically relatively to said shaping device.

3. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a table having an opening, an apertured base carrying said table, means for supporting said base, a stationary recessed shaping device located upon said table, bearings carried by said table, a sleeve rotatably mounted in said bearings and provided with a slot, a trough forming a continuation of said sleeve, a plunger slidably mounted in said sleeve, a stud extending radially from said plunger through said slot whereby said plunger and sleeve are rotatable together, an adjustable head carried by said plunger, an actuatin handle connected with said plunger, :1 orming member located above and in registry with said shaping device, a verticall movable rod carrying said forming mem er and extending downwardly through the table opening, a shaft journaled on said supporting means, an arm carried by said shaft, a hnk eonnecting said arm and said rod, a lever depending from said shaft and a foot piece on said lever whereby the latter is actuated to rock the shaft and vertically reciprocate the forming member relatively to the shaping device.

4. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a recessed element adapted to receive one end of a partially finished cigar contained in a protective wrapper, means whereby said cigar is rotated relatively to said element to complete the application of the protective wrapper at said end, and tamping means whereliy said end of the cigar is finished coincidentally with the finishing of the wrapping operation.

5. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a device having a recess open at its outer end for the accommodation of a projecting portion of the protecting wrapper of a wrapped cigar and means for rotating said cigar whereby said projecting portion of said wrapper may be twisted, saiddevice having a transverse notch communicating with said open end for the accommodation of the twisted end of said wrapper, whereby said twisted end may be coiled upon itself as said cigar is rotated to form a cushion at the one end thereof.

6. An apparatus of the kind described comprising a shaping device having a tapering recess open at both ends and provided with a transverse notch communicating with the small end of said recess, a cigar carrying trough arranged in axial alinement with said recess, a sleeve forming a continuation of said trough, bearings for said sleeve, means for rotating said sleeve and trough relatively to said shaping device, a forming member located above and in registry with said shaping device and means for vertically reciprocating said forming member relatively to said shaping device.

7. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising a shaping device having a tapering recess open at its tapered end for the accommodation of a projecting portion of the protecting wrapper of a wrapped cigar, a cigar carrying trough arranged in axial alinement with said recess, means for rotatably supporting said trough and means for rotating the latterwhereby said projecting/ portion of said wrapper may be twisted, said device having a transverse notch communicating with said open end for'the accommodation of the twisted end of the wrapper, whereby said twisted end may be coiled upon itself as said cigar is rotated to form a cushion at one end thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN. 

